


Vibrational Feedback

by badwolf2991



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 07:57:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15384222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwolf2991/pseuds/badwolf2991
Summary: Broken bones weren't the only thing Skye dealt with as a result of her powers.





	Vibrational Feedback

**Author's Note:**

> So this has been written for a while now, but a search for something else turned this up in one of my many notebooks. Thought I should probably post this.... as well as finish it.  
> Set somewhere after Season 2 Episode 14 (Love in the Time of Hydra), but was initially written somewhere during the airing of season 4 (most likely, at least). Connects to Season 3 as well. Some slight changes to established storyline.

When the first headache struck, Skye was in the isolated cabin Coulson had left her in. And of course, without anything to take for it.

So for three hours, she suffered through the worse headache she had ever had. It started off as a dull pain behind her eyes, so she turned off all but one light across the room that was dampened by the dark shade over it. Then the pounding began, like her head was a construction site. Next was the nausea, which by itself was manageable. But when she stood up to get a glass of water- thinking she was dehydrated- and the floor underneath her shifted- well, then the nausea wasn't so manageable. It took everything in her not to throw up.

But her body seemed to act against her. She felt herself pitch forward, and reacted how nearly anyone would- throwing her hands out to break her fall. Which wasn't smart. Normally, it wouldn't have been an issue. But after turning the vibrations inward, her hands and arms couldn't take the impact. She could feel the minute shifts of bones not quite healed. Added to the throbbing pain behind her eyes, well the nausea won. She could feel the pain amplified due to the motion of throwing up, but now the smell of the last meal- _God_ , she thought, _I think that was dinner_ \- only made the situation worse. She couldn't even remember what it was, but made a mental note to never eat it again if she remembered. The stabbing pain, escalating from the vomiting, made even the dull light, now blocked by the couch, unbearable. Closing her eyes and trying to breathe through her mouth to avoid the smell, she laid there, clutching her head. Curling in a ball on the hard floor, at least the cold was helping with the fever she wasn't aware she had. And that was the last thing she remembered. 

She woke up in the same position. Curled up on the floor next to a puddle of vomit which almost made her gag again. But thankfully the pain was gone and she was able to hold her stomach contents- not that she probably had any- where they were. She slowly got up, feeling the lethargy in her limbs as she pushed herself up. Slowly, she managed to clean up the vomit, and ate a few crackers to calm her stomach. But then she received a call from May, and promptly forgot about the headache.

Until it happened again. Thankfully she was by herself, in her bunk, with a bottle of heavy duty painkillers. She had felt the pressure building all day, but managed to hide it until alone. Taking a few more than necessary, chased by a healthy portion of water. Skye turned the lights off, locked the door, switched her phone to silent, and promptly napped for the next nine hours.

* * *

It really wasn't until after holding the portal open for Fitz to retrieve Simmons, that it dawned on Daisy. The blood dripping from her nose was understandable: stress can cause nose bleeds. Overusing a supernatural ability definitely counted as stress. The blinding headache, however, was too much. Crumpling under the pressure, barely aware of the reunion happening in front of her. How she made it back to the bus, she wasn't sure, although she was certain Mack had something to do with it. 

She vaguely remembered dry swallowing a couple of the painkillers before collapsing on her bed. So she wasn't surprised to wake up at nine the next morning. The lingering headache, however, was very unwelcome. She made her way to the kitchen area, hoping food would help. The growing din provided her the knowledge that there were already people in there. Vibrations said four. Well, five, but one was asleep, so four active bodies, one subdued. Rounding the corner, she saw Bobbi, Mack, Hunter and Fitz making small talk at the table. The quieter vibrations came from Simmons, who was asleep on the table. The already hushed conversation stalled as they noticed Daisy. She grabbed a yogurt from the fridge before sitting down next to Bobbi. She was eternally glad that they were staying relatively quiet as not to wake Simmons, it meant that their conversation was not making the headache- which she now believed to be a migraine- worse. She was also grateful that Bobbi, Mack and Hunter had enough spy training to make their vibrations calming.

She finished the yogurt in only three spoonfuls, but shook her head when Hunter offered her a cup of coffee when he went to refill his. Which she promptly regretted. Laying her head on the table with a small groan as the world around her blurred momentarily. She felt Bobbi rubbing her hand on her back, soothing circles that normally would help. But even this long after holding the Monolith open, the taxing use of her powers, Daisy was running on fumes. The headache that was determined to stick around making her realize how tired she was. This power was proving to be a pain.

She wasn't sure how long she sat with her head on the table, barely aware of the silence that followed. Somehow Mack, Fitz and Hunter managed to leave the kitchen without Daisy being aware. Simmons, still asleep on the other side of Bobbi, head pillowed on her arms was a source of calm in her current state. Bobbi, still radiating calming vibrations- if she felt better she was sure that there was a pun there- and rubbing her back.

"Doing okay, Rockstar?" Her words were quiet, not jarring to her delicate senses right now. Daisy wasn't even sure how to answer that. Gained powers because her life wasn't already weird enough. Managed to break nearly every bone in both of her arms. She found her family, something she had been searching her whole life for. And promptly lost her family. Almost lost someone she considered her sister. Got her sister back. She didn't know how to put every emotion that she was feeling into words. So she answered the best way she knew how.

"Been better, been worse." At least that is what she thinks she said. It sounded jumbled to her through the pain. Bobbi must have gotten the gist of what she was trying to say, because she just continued the circular motion on her back. She shifted her head just enough so that she wasn't speaking directly to the table. "You have a degree in science, right?"

"Biology, yeah. Why?" Again, her words were spoken softly, like she was afraid to speak too loud.

"Can the vibrational feedback cause migraines?" Daisy asked, her words slightly slurred as she turned her head back towards the table. Bobbi's hand paused for a mere second, before continuing the motion in larger circles. Daisy vaguely remembered Simmons and Bobbi talking about the feedback of her powers shortly after she learned control. Something about she learned to control it consciously, but that constant use to what they deemed "extreme measures" could cause future problems. She heard Bobbi give a small _hmm_ as she thought about her answer.

"It's a possibility. Extended use of your power could result in changes in your brainwaves. Changes in your brainwaves could result in what your brain then translates to as pain, even if it's not." Daisy felt a shift in Bobbi's vibrations. "Are you in pain?" Concern leaked into her question, although the fact that she was still speaking softly made it obvious she was aware that Daisy was not even remotely okay.

"Feels like someone took a sledgehammer to my head and is trying to tear up some heavy duty concrete." She slowly sat up, blinking against the light in the kitchen. The light wasn't stabbing at least, however being upright did cause a shift in her equilibrium causing her stomach to revolt slightly. Bobbi had pulled her hand from Daisy's back as she sat up, and rested it against her forehead.

"If you feel up to it, I can run a few tests. Rule out some causes." Daisy wasn't sure if she nodded, but the next thing she knows, Mack was gently and slowly scooping her up in his arms. Coulson and May flanked Mack and Bobbi as they walked to the MedLab, Bobbi explaining what she knew of the situation to Coulson and May as they walked. Daisy rested her head against Mack's shoulder, exhausted from the previous day and the headache. When they entered the MedLab, Mack gently set Daisy down on the bed.

"The boys told us you weren't feeling so hot. Bobbi said you think it is a result of overusing your power?' Coulson spoke, radiating calm like a zen master. Daisy noticed that the overhead lights were barely even on, and the reduced brightness meant she could actually look at Coulson without pain. She mumbled something that sounded like 'yes', and was thankful when he captured her hand between his.

"Okay, Rockstar. I am going to run an MRI. I have a feeling that it's not going to help your headache, so I'm gonna give you something so you sleep through it. But first I want to test a couple of other things." Bobbi continued to explain what she was testing as she did it, making sure not to startle Daisy and accidentally make the pain worse. In total, it took about twenty minutes for Bobbi to complete the tests before administering the sedative. The next thing she knew, was she felt floaty. And comforting darkness as her eyes fell shut.

* * *

She woke up, back in her bunk, but thankfully without the headache. Seeing her phone on the bedside table, she turned it on to look at the time. Not exactly sure when she had woken up, nor what time that Bobbi had knocked her out to run the MRI, Daisy wasn't sure how long she had been out. She moved slowly to a sitting position, and tested her balance once upright. Standing even slower, just in case, she was pleased that other than a small wobble she was able to stand without issue. Shifting slowly just to make sure, she made her way out of her bunk. No lingering pain or dizziness or any sensitivity. She made her way towards the common area on the bus, to find Coulson, May and Bobbi having a quiet discussion. She must have made a noise because all three turned to look at her in near unison.

"I'm okay," she stated, more to make sure they didn't try to vault over the couch to get to her. "A little hungry but the pain is gone. Thank you, for whatever you did." She aimed that at Bobbi, who had a concerned look in her eyes. She continued her shuffle to the couch before sitting down next to Coulson. She noticed that the three agents were huddled around a small stack of papers. Raising an eyebrow, Daisy looked at Bobbi.

"We were just discussing your results from the tests I ran." Bobbi said, shifting the papers so that Daisy could read them. "Now, this isn't the area of my expertise, but I know enough to say that your MRI showed no lasting damage to your brain. The other tests that I ran also showed that the headache was most likely due to feedback of overusing your power." Daisy was thankful that Bobbi put the results into terms that she would understand. She really did not want another headache because of trying to understand scientific terminology. "However, I am concerned about repetitive damage: you overusing your powers continuously resulting in repetitive stress. I did administer some strong painkillers after your MRI to treat the headache, which you could be right in that it was a migraine. Another concern would be the repetitive use of the painkiller to treat strong headaches could cause a tolerance and eventual resistance to it, meaning you could potentially have to ride the pain out until your brain realizes that it is not actually in pain." Bobbi's gaze turned to Coulson and May briefly, before turning back to Daisy. "I'm not going to say you can't continue to help, but I am going to say that I'm glad the Monolith was destroyed. And I hope you use your powers more responsibly in the future." The slight smirk that appeared on Bobbi's face said enough. She stood up and walked the short distance to Daisy, before leaning down and giving her hug. "I'm glad you're feeling better, but I'm going to sleep now." And with that, Bobbi left the room.

May stood up a short while later, claiming she was going to check on the controls to make sure that they were still on course. Daisy tilted her head back and sighed. She was glad it was nothing overly serious. She just had to use restraint when using her powers. Easy peasy. She had relaxed to the point that she forgot that Coulson was there still, so when his hand brushed her shoulder, she jumped slightly.

"Sorry." His words were spoken gently, and Daisy felt a smile spread across her face. "I just figured you were probably hungry. Between using your powers and not eating much in the past 36 hours..." his words trailed off and the sudden rumble from Daisy's stomach was answer enough. Coulson laughed, a soft chuckle that made Daisy laugh too. "Grilled cheese and soup?" Daisy let herself be pulled upright and followed Coulson into the kitchen.

Maybe, just maybe, she would make it through her ever changing life.

**Author's Note:**

> So the use of Skye in the beginning but Daisy later is reflecting upon her learning about her past and family. I also realized that I used a crap ton of dashes throughout this story.


End file.
